What the drivers said after WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
Audi Sport Team Joest (No.8 Audi R18, LMP1)
Lucas Di Grassi: “What a crazy race! We really didn’t expect this result. In the end, it was about endurance racing qualities and we were the only driver squad in a hybrid sports car to finish without issues. Following the season opener at Silverstone, Audi provided us with a very reliable car today. I’m very happy about my first victory with this team. This is a motivational boost for all of us. Now I’m wishing for us to have a good race at Le Mans.”
Loïc Duval: “The entire squad worked hard and deserves this victory. These 25 points are valuable for all of us because it means a barren spell for number ‘8’ has ended.However, we shouldn’tforget that our number ‘7’ sister car, after many setbacks, recovered and scored important points for Audi as well.”
Oliver Jarvis: “This was our first joint victory. Especially in this of all races we hardly expected it, because our pure lap times weren’t good enough this weekend. But we stayed clear of all trouble and did a good job of finishing the race. That’s a fantastic success for the team which it has deserved for a long time. What a great feeling before Le Mans.”
Porsche Team (No.2 Porsche 919 Hybrid, LMP1)
Romain Dumas: “In the end I was taking the car round the track really carefully. It wasn’t easy at all today. The championship points are a reward for the mechanics who worked extremely hard here and kept repairing our cars.”
Neel Jani: “This was very special today. Without the full power from the hybrid system, traffic is difficult and you have to take care of the brake temperatures a lot. We have been treating our 919 as carefully as we could and then we were repeatedly promoted as others got in trouble.”
Marc Lieb: “It was a bit frustrating not to have the full hybrid power after lap six. We were quite busy in the cockpit driving to finish the race under those circumstances. The car is set up for the strong four-wheel drive when accelerating from the corners. But we managed to bring the car home and were rewarded with big points.”
http://www.porsche.com/international/motorsportandevents/motorsport/worksracing/raceseries/fiawec/
Rebellion Racing (No.13 Rebellion R-One – AER, LMP1)
Alexandre Imperatori: "Obviously it’s mega, it’s a dream result, the same as Silverstone but this time we enjoyed the podium celebration and it makes it all different!"
Dominik Kraihamer: "It’s an awesome result for us and the team, especially as next race will be Le Mans. The team deserve results like we had in Silverstone and here."
Mathéo Tuscher: "A great result, I am super happy. A tough race, but we managed the strategy and track conditions well. My teammates did a great job."
http://www.rebellion-racing.com/
Signatech Alpine (No.36 Alpine A460 – Nissan, LMP2)
Nicolas Lapierre: "That was an excellent race, but we certainly never had the opportunity to relax! I saw that I could take advantage of the presence of a backmarker to catch Derani by surprise, and I really enjoyed the move. I’m pleased for the whole team, who did a brilliant job, as well as for my two team-mates who have made extremely encouraging progress."
Stéphane Richelmi: "Just over an hour from the end of the race, I was saying that a lot could still happen when I saw the Safety Car take to the track following at accident at Eau Rouge. That really complicated matters for us, but Nicolas made the difference and drew upon all of his endurance racing experience to master the situation."
Gustavo Menezes: "I’m absolutely thrilled – standing up on the top step of the podium was an emotional moment at the end of such a tough race. Believing that it would be a tall order to win, our target was to finish on the podium. Thankfully, Nicolas was exceptional. Not only is he teaching Stéphane and me a great deal outside of the car, but he is also hugely talented behind the wheel."
http://www.signature-team.com/pages/signatech-alpine/
AF Corse (No.71 Ferrari 488 GTE, LMGTE Pro)
Davide Rigon: "First I have to say I am sorry about the problem that struck car no. 51. I mainly feel sorry for James who would have claimed his first victory in the WEC. As for Sam and me I can say that it all went well for us. Today the car was even better than in qualifying and we kept up with the pace set by our teammates without much difficulty."
Sam Bird: "We are on maximum points in the championship and I would never have expected it. Of course this victory is different from Silverstone, and to finish first in this way isn't very nice. However, that's racing and we have to accept it."
Aston Martin Racing (No.98 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, LMGTE Am)
Pedro Lamy: “When I had the safety car on track, I was conscious that my advantage would be gone. However, I felt that I had a fast car and Paul and Mathias put us in a great position for my final stint earlier in the race. I found the car to be very fast on new tyres which made the final laps much easier. With pole yesterday and a win today, this is the perfect result.”
